| Chapter 278 |
| 2023 -- H 5881 SUBSTITUTE A Enacted 06/22/2023 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- POLICE OFFICERS - COMMISSION ON STANDARDS AND TRAINING |
Introduced By: Representatives Noret, Hull, Casimiro, Baginski, Solomon, McNamara, Phillips, Cardillo, Corvese, and J. Brien |
| Date Introduced: March 01, 2023 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Section 42-28.2-8.3 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-28.2 entitled "Police |
| Officers — Commission on Standards and Training" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
| 42-28.2-8.3. Educational requirements — National certified mental health first aid |
| training Educational requirements — National certified mental health training. |
| (a) The commission on standards and training shall prepare and publish mandatory training |
| standards to provide instructions for police officers in identifying recognizing the possible |
| existence of a mental disorder and handling of complaints involving mental health/substance abuse |
| use emergencies, and victims, witnesses, or suspects with mental illness or substance use disorders |
| and shall develop guidelines for law enforcement responses to incidents involving such persons. |
| The course of instruction shall comply with the certified National Council of Behavioral Health |
| Mental Health First Aid Program (MHFA) for law enforcement, or an International Certified Crisis |
| Intervention Team (ICCIT) training program, or other best practice training recognized by the |
| International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Instruction and the guidelines shall include: |
| (1) Identifying and recognizing Recognizing the possible existence of a mental illness or |
| substance use disorders for the benefit of victims and witnesses, the availability of civil remedies |
| and community resources for persons experiencing mental health emergencies, and the protection |
| of persons with mental illness or substance use disorders and for law enforcement officers engaging |
| such persons; |
| (2) Providing information to law enforcement officers to recognize the signs and symptoms |
| of common mental illnesses and substance use disorders, de-escalating crisis situations safely, and |
| initiating timely referral to mental health and substance abuse use resources available in the |
| community. |
| (b) The commission shall include training in all curricula for recruits and in-service |
| trainees, in all police academies operating or certified by the commission. All law enforcement |
| trainees shall be certified by the National Council of Behavioral Health in Mental Health First Aid, |
| or an International Certified Crisis Intervention Team (ICCIT) training program, or other best |
| practice training recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). |
| (c) All law enforcement trainees shall participate in the course of basic training for law |
| enforcement officers, established in this section, as part of their required certification process. |
| (d) Training presenters shall include a behavioral health practitioners practitioner with |
| expertise in the delivery of direct services to individuals experiencing mental health or substance |
| abuse use emergencies, and may also include police officers who are certified trainers in the |
| respective training being delivered and victims, witnesses, and suspects with lived experience of |
| mental illness and consumer-survivors i.e. individuals with mental illness or substance use |
| disorders. Training presentations may utilize the staff of community-based mental health treatment |
| facilities. |
| (e) The course of instruction, the learning and performance objectives, the standards for |
| training, and the guidelines shall be developed by the Rhode Island municipal police training |
| committee commission in consultation with groups and individuals having an interest and expertise |
| in the field of mental health and community-based treatment. |
| (f) The Rhode Island municipal police training committee commission periodically shall |
| include within its in-service training curriculum a course of instruction on handling complaints |
| from or against persons with mental illness or substance use disorders, consistent with the |
| provisions of subsections (a)(1) and (a)(2). |
| (g) As used in this section, the following words and terms shall have the following |
| meanings: |
| (1) “Law enforcement officer” shall mean any officer of a municipal police department or |
| a department of the state. |
| (2) “Consumer-survivor” shall mean any individual suffering from with lived experience |
| of a mental health disability condition or substance abuse use disorder. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC001984/SUB A/2 |
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